Improved pavement



i' 'i r l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD WHITEHEAD,

OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

IMPROVED PAVEMENT.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD WHITEHEAD, of Cincinnati, Hamilton county, Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wooden Pavements; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification. Y

My invention relates to that class of wooden pavements comprising a congeries ot' blocks having the grain of the wood presented upward; and the first part of my improvement consists in armode of interlocking the blocks together in such a manner that any pressure is communicated from one block to its immediate neighbors, thus distributing the bearin g-surface and rendering the pavement more durable, while preserving the integrityT of its contour.

The second part ot' my improvement relates to a metallic frame casing or curb for receiving a suitable number of blocks, which arrangement enables the pavement to be laid very rapidly and accurately. The arrangement also facilitates the taking up of portions of the pavement by curbs or sections and the transportation from place to place in the same form.

Figure l is a perspective view of a section ot' pavement laid on my improved plan, a por tion oi the blocks being removed from the frame. Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical sections through a frame and its contents, taken respectively at the lines 0c x and ze, Fig. 1.

The paving-blocks are rectangular pieces of wood, of any durable species, and are composed of an upper portion, A, and a lower portion, A', the upper face of the lower portion, A', having a ledge, B, while the lower 'face of the upper portion, A, is provided with a shoulder, C.

The upper edges of the block may be chamfered, as at a, so as to form, when the pavement is laid, a congeries of V-shaped grooves intersecting each other at right angles, to afford a rm foothold for horses.

D is an open rectangular frame curb or casing of cast-iron, upon whose upper edge or rim, d, the shoulders G of the blocks A A' have a bearing.

The frame D is provided-at bottom with a ledge or iiange, D', which serves to uphold the outer row of blocks in case the shoulders C should break oli.

rIhe sides of the frame D may be flush with the outer courses of blocks, or, as represented, the face of the metallic frame may project so as to allow the shoulders of the blocks in the adjoining section to rest upon it.

Operation: The street having been graded and properly graveled, the frames D are laid in position, and the irst series of blocks, l 2 3, Snc., are placed in the frame, the shoulders C resting upon the rim d, after which the succeeding rows of blocks are added, their shoulders resting upon the ledges of the preceding blocks, until all the frames have been filled, which may be done in the most rapid and uniform manner.

Although a rectangular form has been selected as the preferred type of my invention, it is obvious that other forms, both of blocks and frames, may be employed, such as hexagonal, rhomboidal, Ste.

For a superior durabilityT and nish, the foundation may consist of a compost bed, and the frames may be curved upward in their transverse direction to correspond with the swell of the street between the gutters, and the blocks be made to taper downward. v

In swampy places the covers of the frames may rest upon piles.

The frames may be iilled with blocks and conveyed in this condition to their place in the street.

When the sides of the frames are iinished iiush with the upper members, A, ofthe blocks, one or more entire sections may be lifted bodily up, so as to permit of pipes being laid, sewers dug, Snc. f

The frames may be made of wrought-iron.

I claim herein as new and of my inventionl. The combination of wooden paving-blocks constructed as herein described, with upper members,vA, lower members, A', shoulders C, and ledges B, all arranged and adapted to opera-te as and for the purposes specified.

2. The arrangement of a con geries of wooden blocks A A' C B, with the metallic frame curb or casing D D' d, as set forth.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand. e

E. WHIIEHEAD. 

